Vibrating screens are typically used in the mining, quarrying, and mineral processing industries to separate materials, such as coal, by size. A vibrating screen typically has a chassis with screen panels. The chassis is typically rigid with various support members to ensure structural integrity. The chassis is mounted on pedestals and springs, or the like in e.g. a spring mount assembly, and has vibrators which cause the chassis, and therefore the screen panels, to vibrate. The screen panels have apertures which allow smaller sized material to pass through. In use, the chassis vibrates and material is passed over the screen panels and smaller material is separated from larger material as it passes through the apertures in the screen panels. Examples of vibrating screens may be appreciated from U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,830,155 and 9,457,381
In some vibrating screens there are external and internal springs which are used to support the chassis. This is known as a dual spring design. Because of difficulties in performing maintenance on or changing out the internal springs some vibrating screens are now designed with only a pair of external springs. This is known as a single spring design.
Existing spring mount assemblies pose numerous issues during maintenance and change-out procedures. First, existing spring mount assemblies present a safety risk as the entire screen chassis is required to either be lifted or jacked to remove the weight from the springs and allow the springs to become free and thereafter removed. Such a process presents a risk of working under a suspended load. Second, existing spring mount assemblies are not designed such that there is enough clearance/height to relieve the spring tension and remove it from its position. Therefore, existing methods require that the springs are compressed, e.g. using spring compressors, which are classed as high risk tools and are progressively being removed from the majority of mining sites.